Private Japanese lunar lander enters orbit around moon ahead of a June touchdown

Scientists say they’ve found another source of gold in the #cosmos.

#Astronomers have been trying to determine the cosmic origins of the heaviest elements, like gold, for decades. Now, new research based on a signal uncovered in archival space mission data may point to a potential clue: magnetars, or highly magnetized neutron stars.

Scientists believe lighter elements such as hydrogen and helium, and even a small amount of lithium, likely existed early on after the big bang created the universe 13.8 billion years ago.

Then, exploding stars released heavier elements like iron, which became incorporated in newborn stars and planets. But the distribution of gold, which is heavier than iron, throughout the universe has posed a mystery to astrophysicists.

“It’s a pretty fundamental question in terms of the origin of complex matter in the universe,” said Anirudh Patel, lead author of the study published Tuesday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and a doctoral student of physics at Columbia University in New York City, in a statement. “It’s a fun puzzle that hasn’t actually been solved.”

Previously, the cosmic production of gold has only been linked to neutron star collisions.

Astronomers observed a collision between two neutron stars in 2017. The cataclysmic clash released ripples in space-time, known as gravitational waves, as well as light from a gamma-ray burst. The collision event, known as a kilonova, also created heavy elements like gold, platinum and lead. Kilonovas have been likened to gold “factories” in space.

It is believed that most neutron stars mergers occurred only in the past several billion years, said study coauthor Eric Burns, assistant professor and astrophysicist at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

But previously indecipherable 20-year-old data from NASA and European Space Agency telescopes suggests that flares from magnetars that formed much earlier — during the infancy of the universe — may have provided another way for the creation of gold, Burns said.
Quakes on stars

Neutron stars are the remnants of the cores from exploded stars, and they are so dense that 1 teaspoon of the star’s material would weigh 1 billion tons on Earth. Magnetars are an extremely bright type of neutron star with an incredibly powerful magnetic field.

Astronomers are still trying to work out exactly how magnetars form, but they theorize that the first magnetars likely appeared just after the first stars within about 200 million years of the beginning of the universe, or about 13.6 billion years ago, Burns said.

Occasionally, magnetars unleash a bonanza of radiation due to “starquakes.”

On Earth, earthquakes occur because Earth’s molten core causes motion in the planet’s crust, and when enough stress builds up, it results in volatile movement, or the ground quaking beneath your feet. Starquakes are similar, Burns said.

“Neutron stars have a crust and a superfluid core,” Burns said in an email. “The motion under the surface builds up stress on the surface, which can eventually cause a starquake. On magnetars these starquakes produce very short bursts of X-rays. Just like on Earth, you (have) periods where a given star is particularly active, producing hundreds or thousands of flares in a few weeks. And similarly, every once in a while, a particularly powerful quake occurs.”

The researchers found evidence suggesting that a magnetar unleashes material during a giant flare, but they didn’t have a physical explanation for the ejection of the star’s mass, Patel said.

It’s likely that the flares heat and eject the crust material at high speeds, according to recent research by several coauthors of the new study, including Patel’s adviser Brian Metzger, a professor of physics at Columbia University and senior research scientist at the Flatiron Institute in New York City.

“They hypothesized that the physical conditions of this explosive mass ejection were promising for the production of heavy elements,” Patel said.
Tracing a stellar signal

The research team was curious to see whether there might be a connection between the radiation from magnetar flares and the formation of heavy elements. The scientists searched for evidence in wavelengths of visible and ultraviolet light. But Burns wondered whether the flare might create a traceable gamma ray as well.

He looked at gamma ray data from the last observed giant magnetar flare, which appeared in December 2004 and was captured by the now retired INTEGRAL, or INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, mission. Astronomers had found and characterized the signal, but did not know how to interpret it at the time, Burns said.

The prediction from the model proposed by Metzger’s previous research closely matched the signal from the 2004 data. The gamma ray resembled what the team proposed the creation and distribution of heavy elements would look like in a giant magnetar flare.

Data from NASA’s retired RHESSI, or Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, and the Wind satellite also supported the team’s findings. Long-term federally funded research enabled the discovery, Burns said.

“When initially building our model and making our predictions back in December 2024, none of us knew the signal was already in the data. And none of us could have imagined that our theoretical models would fit the data so well. It was quite an exciting holiday season for all of us,” Patel said. “It very cool to think about how some of the stuff in my phone or my laptop was forged in this extreme explosion (over) the course of our galaxy’s history.”

Dr. Eleonora Troja, an associate professor at the University of Rome who led the discovery of X-rays emitted by the neutron star collision in 2017, said the evidence for heavy element creation from the magnetar event “is in no way comparable to the evidence collected in 2017.” Troja was not involved in the new study.

“The production of gold from this magnetar is a possible explanation for its gamma-ray glow, one among many others as the paper honestly discusses at its end,” Troja said.

Troja added that magnetars are “very messy objects.” Given that producing gold can be a tricky process that requires specific conditions, it’s possible that magnetars could add too much of the wrong ingredients, such as an excess of electrons, to the mix, resulting in light metals like zirconium or silver, rather than gold or uranium.

“Therefore, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that a new source of gold has been discovered,” Troja said. “Rather, what’s been proposed is an alternative pathway for its production.”

The researchers believe that magnetar giant flares could be responsible for up to 10 per cent of elements heavier than iron in the Milky Way galaxy, but a future mission could provide a more precise estimate, Patel said.

NASA’s Compton Spectrometer and Imager mission, or COSI, expected to launch in 2027, could follow up on the study’s findings. The wide-field gamma-ray telescope is designed to observe giant magnetar flares and identify elements created within them. The telescope could help astronomers search for other potential sources of heavy elements across the universe, Patel said.

#NASA to continue Lunar Trailblazer recovery efforts through mid-June .

NASA will continue efforts to restore contact with the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft through mid-June, holding out hope that it can still conduct its mission to search for water ice on the moon.

In an April 30 statement, #NASA said conditions should be favorable in May and the first half of June for Lunar Trailblazer to generate power and reactivate its radio, potentially enabling controllers to restore the spacecraft and carry out its original mission.

The small spacecraft launched as a secondary payload Feb. 26 on the Falcon 9 carrying the IM-2 lunar lander for Intuitive Machines. Contact with the spacecraft was lost less than 12 hours after launch, though, and has not been restored except for a brief period the day after launch.

NASA concluded that the spacecraft was “spinning slowly in a low-power state” that kept it from communicating as well as performing the maneuvers needed to enter orbit around the moon. Before the April 30 statement, the most recent update was March 12, when NASA said the prime science mission for Lunar Trailblazer “is no longer possible” but that there could be alternative missions.

“We know the position of Lunar Trailblazer from ground-based astronomy and we can model its spin and orientation based on those observations,” said Louise Prockter, director of NASA’s planetary science division, during an April 30 meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG). “Right now, it doesn’t look like enough sunlight is getting to the spacecraft’s solar panels.”

#Europe begins probing SES–Intelsat merger on competition grounds.

European regulators have launched a preliminary investigation into Luxembourg satellite fleet operator SES’ multi-billion-dollar plan to buy U.S.-based rival Intelsat.

The European Commission set a June 10 deadline to decide whether to clear the deal with or without conditions, or open a full-scale, potentially four-month-long probe into any serious concerns about its effects on competition.

SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh told analysts during the company’s April 30 earnings call that the operator anticipates closing the transaction early in a previously forecasted window of the second half of 2025.

The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) started reviewing the deal earlier this month, setting a June 12 deadline for its initial investigation.

The CMA could also choose to initiate a more detailed analysis of the merger, which John Worthy, a partner at law firm Fieldfisher, said is typically concluded within 24 weeks but may be extended by up to eight more weeks.

Amazon launches its first internet #satellites to compete against SpaceX’s Starlinks

Interference with Global Positioning System satellite signals has become a routine feature of military conflict across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The findings signal rising risks for both commercial and military actors in orbit.

CSIS on April 25 released its latest Space Threat Assessment report, outlining trends in so-called “counterspace” activity — efforts by nations to disrupt, degrade or destroy satellites. It identifies Russia and Israel as primary actors in widespread GPS spoofing campaigns tied to ongoing military operations in Ukraine and Gaza.

“The past year mostly witnessed a continuation of the worrisome trends discussed in prior reports,” CSIS said, including sophisticated jamming and spoofing, more advanced satellite maneuvering, and mounting threats to commercial space systems used by governments.

GPS spoofing — where false signals are broadcast to mislead navigation systems — has been widely reported in areas near conflict zones, disrupting civilian and military operations alike. The tactic, once rare, is now a normalized tool of hybrid warfare.

In low and geostationary orbits, Chinese and Russian satellites continue to demonstrate precise and complex maneuvers that signal growing operator proficiency. These tactics, CSIS said, have clear implications for space warfighting and may enable nations to conduct covert surveillance or disrupt rival systems.
Worries about nukes in space

One of the more alarming developments cited in the report is Russia’s suspected testing of a space-based nuclear anti-satellite weapon. Satellite Cosmos-2553 is believed to have served as a testbed. If deployed, such a weapon could cripple large portions of low Earth orbit, potentially rendering the region unusable “for some period of time.”

Commercial companies supporting government users — especially those contracted by defense agencies — are increasingly being treated as military targets. The report notes that Russia has openly warned that it considers such assets legitimate during conflict, reflecting a broader trend where the line between civilian and military infrastructure in space is blurring.

State-sponsored cyber threats from Iran, China, and North Korea also featured in the report, including espionage efforts and supply chain attacks targeting the space industry. CSIS cautioned that attributing such operations remains difficult, complicating response strategies.

As space becomes more contested, U.S. policy is shifting. The U.S. Space Force has stepped up its rhetoric, signaling a readiness to conduct both defensive and offensive operations in orbit. “The normalization of space as a military operational domain and its integral role in joint operations mean that space is fair game during conflict,” the report states.

CSIS concludes that space is becoming “a more dangerous place,” increasingly intertwined with both peacetime and wartime strategies. With nations racing to develop dual-use systems and counterspace capabilities, the prospect of miscalculation or escalation is growing.

“Warfighting will happen in, through, and from space,” the report warns. “A future peer-on-peer conflict may very well bring disruption and destruction to space on the same scale that it would bring to other places closer to Earth.”

A missile-tracking satellite developed by L3Harris Technologies demonstrated its ability to track hypersonic missiles from space, giving the defense contractor a potential key advantage in the Golden Dome program directed by the Trump administration to bolster U.S. defenses against advanced aerial threats.

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) confirmed April 25 that L3Harris’ Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellite prototype met performance targets in tests. The agency launched two competing HBTSS demonstration satellites in February 2024 — one built by L3Harris and another by Northrop Grumman — but only the L3Harris satellite has satisfied program requirements, according to an MDA spokesperson.

“While a full assessment of proven payload performance has not yet been concluded, MDA can confirm that the L3Harris satellite is successfully demonstrating its primary functions,” the spokesperson told SpaceNews. “The Northrop Grumman satellite failed to meet established requirements.”

MDA awarded Northrop Grumman a $155 million contract and L3Harris a $121 million contract in January 2021 to develop HBTSS prototype satellites for the demonstration.

“We were pleased to partner with both L3Harris and Northrop Grumman on this important homeland missile defense capability and look forward to working with them in the future,” the MDA spokesperson said. “The rapid prototype process was designed for a fair but difficult challenge for the industry members involved … This entire effort represents a great lesson learned in the success and effectiveness of the rapid prototype process.”
EO calls for ‘acceleration’ of HBTSS

HBTSS is seen as a cornerstone technology in the Golden Dome program — a missile defense initiative launched by the Trump administration and formalized through executive order. The directive calls for the “acceleration of the deployment of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor layer” as part of a broader strategy to protect the U.S. against missile and aerial threats.

The HBTSS sensor is designed to track fast, low-flying #hypersonic weapons that can maneuver unpredictably in the atmosphere — a significant challenge for traditional radar and satellite systems. Unlike ballistic missiles that follow predictable arcs, hypersonics require real-time, high-fidelity tracking data to enable interception.

BOSTON — #NASA is canceling the lease for the offices of a branch of the Goddard Space Flight Center in New York that does Earth science research.

In an April 24 email to Goddard employees, Makenzie Lystrup, director of Goddard Space Flight Center, said that the lease the agency has for office space in a Columbia University building will end May 31. Those offices host the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), part of Goddard’s Earth science division.

Lystrup said the decision to terminate the lease was linked to ongoing reviews by the current administration of all government leases, but did not give further details on the decision, including whether it was made by NASA or outside the agency, such as the Department of Government Efficiency.

GISS has been in New York since its founding in 1961, established there “on the premise that conducting theoretical research in the space sciences would be facilitated by being near the leading universities in the greater metropolitan area,” GISS explains on its website. It has been in its current offices, in a building known as Armstrong Hall, since the late 1960s.

GISS is best known for its work in climate sciences, modeling changes caused by natural and human-made phenomena. The institute has been led since 2014 by Gavin Schmidt, a climate scientist who served as the agency’s acting senior climate adviser in 2021. More than 130 people work at GISS, according to an online staff directory.

NASA leases more than 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) in the building, paying an annual rent of $3.03 million, according to data from the General Services Administration confirmed by a NASA spokesperson. That lease was set to run through August 2031.

While NASA is terminating the lease on the GISS offices, it is not closing the institute itself. Lystrup said in the email that it will help employees move “to remote work agreements in the short-term as the agency seeks a new, permanent space for the team.”

“And while the lease is ending, the Institute’s mission continues,” she added. “The work of the GISS team is considered critical for the Earth Science Division, particularly as the Division looks to the future of its modeling work and capabilities.”

However, agency sources said they are concerned that GISS could become a victim of budget cuts. A draft “passback” budget proposal for NASA delivered to the agency earlier this month by the Office of Management and Budget proposed cutting NASA’s Earth science budget by more than 50% to about $1 billion in fiscal year 2026.

HELSINKI — Three Chinese astronauts arrived at the Tiangong space station Thursday aboard the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, hours after launching from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Shenzhou-20 docked with the radial port of the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station at around 11:49 a.m. Eastern (15:49 UTC) April 24, according to the the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).

The spacecraft, carrying commander Chen Dong and crewmates Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, launched atop a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 5:17 a.m. Eastern (0917 UTC).

The trio will soon take over control of Tiangong in the coming days from the incumbent Shenzhou-19 crew, who are completing their own six-month-long mission aboard the space station. Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe and colleagues Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze are due to return to Earth early Eastern April 29, targeting the Dongfeng landing site near Jiuquan.

Shenzhou-20 is the sixth three-person mission to arrive at Tiangong since the three-module outpost was completed in late 2022. Chen is commanding his second mission to Tiangong, following the 2022 Shenzhou-14 mission, which saw the addition of Tiangong’s two experiment modules, Wentian and Mengtian, to the Tianhe core module.

States bid to host a revamped #NASA headquarters.

More states are lining up in a bid to host NASA’s headquarters, but the prize they seek may turn out to be smaller than they expect.

On April 16, members of the Texas congressional delegation sent a letter to President Trump requesting that he move NASA’s headquarters from its current location in Washington to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“For NASA to return to its core mission of excellence in exploration, its headquarters should be located at a place where NASA’s most critical missions are and where transformational leadership from the ground up can be provided,” the letter, signed by 27 members, stated. “We write to urge you to use this opportunity to reinvigorate our national space agency and move NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C. to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.”